Santa Panagia, Siracusa, Sicilia

[Irenaeus]

I was in Sicily for two weeks starting in early November, mostly on the island's east coast but I finished in Palermo in its northwest. Some of my father's ancestors came from Palermo, Sicily's capital, and from Sciacca, a much smaller place unmentioned in my travel guide on the west of the south coast. I didn't make it to Sciacca and a few other places I wanted to see. Sicily is small enough that you can travel across its greatest length by car in about 4 hours. I was enrolled in an Italian course in Catania on the south-southeastern slope of Mount Etna so I was constrained a bit travel wise.

Perhaps the most interesting unexpected thing happened while exiting Siracusa by bus after a day trip there heading back to Catania. I spotted another bus - a local, I presume - with the destination Santa Panagia - a quarter in the north of Siracusa. Panagia, a Greek word which means all holy, is an expression for the Virgin Mary popular among the Eastern Orthodox and eastern Roman Catholics. Sicily has long been a crossroads. Arabs and Normans had a big influence in Palermo whereas Greeks had a big influence most strongly on Sicily's east, though the famous ancient Greek ruins in Agrigento are near the center of the south coast. Italian Wikipedia says that Siracusa was strongly tied to the Church in Constantinople in the Byzantine era.

Sicily on Google Maps

[anawim]

Until recently, I never realized that Sicily is only about 2 miles from mainland Italy.

[Irenaeus]

The long-proposed bridge from Calabria on the peninsula to Messina on Sicily may any day now get started. Or at least some funds are to be released. Or something. The Sicilians I discussed this with were somewhat skeptical about the benefits. I think it could be very beneficial to nearly everyone.

I went to lovely and very-touristy Taormina (northeast of Mount Etna) during this trip and that was as close as I got to Messina. That night in Taormina, I could see lights on the Italian mainland which, at its nearest, was about 22 miles away.

Italy's $12.7BN Bridge to Sicily